AusSeabed Wins Kerry Kennedy Award
The Institute of Public Administration Australia honoured the seabed mapping project at its Spirit of Service Awards gala in Canberra.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Geography
The Institute of Public Administration Australia presented the Kerry Kennedy Award to AusSeabed: Mapping Australia's Seabed, Together at the Spirit of Service Awards on 5 November 2026. The judges' discretionary honour recognises the project delivered by Geoscience Australia, the Australian Hydrographic Office and CSIRO.
Why it matters
Only 38.8 per cent of Australia's maritime jurisdiction has been mapped in sufficient detail, so the recognition highlights ongoing work to fill the gap. The project brings together more than 300 government, research and industry organisations to coordinate mapping and share survey data.
The Spirit of Service Awards are presented by the Institute of Public Administration Australia, and the Kerry Kennedy Award is a judges' discretionary honour given annually. The remaining 61.2 per cent of the maritime jurisdiction has not yet been mapped to the same level of detail, and the source does not give a timeline for closing that gap.
The players
AusSeabed: Mapping Australia's Seabed, Together
AusSeabed is a national seabed mapping project delivered by Geoscience Australia, the Australian Hydrographic Office and CSIRO.
Institute of Public Administration Australia
The Institute of Public Administration Australia is a professional body that presents the Spirit of Service Awards to public sector agencies.
The details
AusSeabed coordinates mapping and improves how survey data is quality-assured, shared and reused across agencies. The award was presented at a gala ceremony held at the National Arboretum in Canberra on Thursday 5 November 2026.
Timeline
Thursday 5 November 2026: Spirit of Service Awards gala ceremony held at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
Roadmap
The AusSeabed program is Australia's national effort to map its seabed, and the award places its coordination model in the spotlight as coverage remains under 40 per cent of the maritime jurisdiction. The recognition sits within the Spirit of Service Awards, which honour collaborative public sector work across agencies.
Improved seabed mapping supports better marine navigation, resource planning and environmental management across Australia's coastal waters. The collaborative data-sharing model could make survey information more widely reusable by agencies and researchers.
The takeaway
Recognition for AusSeabed underlines how much of Australia's seabed remains uncharted in sufficient detail. Coordinated mapping across government, research and industry is central to closing that gap.
Further reading
Explore more Geography coverage to see how Australia's seabed and coastal mapping fits into the wider field.
